UWB pulse - frequency spectrum measurement

Hi all,

I'm new to UWB pulse based communication systems. I've seen a lot of litreature reading UWB antenna designs, time domain measurements of UWB antennas etc.

However, I couldn't find a single document, clearly explaining how to measure the spectrum of a UWB pulse.

Could you please help me to answer these questions?

1. How to measure the frequency spectrum of a UWB pulse?

2. (a) How to measure the impulse response of a UWB antenna?
(b) Can we take time domain measurements by only using a Network
Analyzer? (by measurement + calculation)?

Thanks
per_lube

Please try "www.picosecond.com" There you can find several interesting "white papers" on UWB generation and measurements.
Also Agilent introduced some white papers recently.

1. Generally speaking you can measure the frequency spectrum with an RF spectrum analyzer. a 20GHz one is enough for UWB pulse.

2. For time domain measurement you need a sampling oscilloscope. I am not sure if you can use a VNA to do this job. You can calculate the impluse response from the measured frequency spectrum. Or you can create a impulse, using a high bandwidth arbitray waveform generator. More advanced way you can look at mode lock laser.....

using a spectrum analyzer to measure an uwb pulse is a good way to destroy your spectrum analyzer. before you measure anything, measure the total power in something like a power meter head. THEN you can hook it up to the spectrum analyzer, using an attenuator between the unit and the analyzer so as not to go above the maximum input power spec. of the analyzer.

Dear jiripolivka, spaceshen & biff44,

Thanks a lot for your replies.
really useful.

regards